A wide variety of cover structures for portable electronic devices, particularly for phones, are available today. Cover structures for folding or flip phones are complicated since a hinge mechanism is necessary to pivotally connect first and second housings of the phone to allow movement between closed and open positions. FIG. 5 shows a structure for a flip phone disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,300. Referring to this patent, a flip element 103, a rear housing portion 229 and a front housing portion 231 can be assembled together using a hinge mechanism. The flip element 103 includes a pair of hinge knuckles 203, 207, and is a one-piece integrally formed unit. FIG. 6 shows a structure of a flip 14 for a folding phone disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,173. The flip 14 comprises a front cover portion 141 and a back cover portion 142. Each cover portion 141, 142 forms a curved portion 391, 392. When the cover portions 141, 142 are assembled, the curved portions 391, 392 engage with each other to form a hinge tube 39 to encase a hinge mechanism.
However, as regards the first above reference, it is difficult to form the flip element 103 so that it has two or more different colors, with the colors being distinct and having clear boundaries therebetween. This is because the flip element 103 is a uniform, integral structure. Unlike in the first reference, the flip 14 of the second above reference can be easily formed in two different colors. That is, the front cover portion 141 and the back cover portion 142 can each be formed of a different color, wit a distinct boundary being defined where the curved portions 391, 392 join to form the hinge tube 39. However, as the flip 14 rotates around the hinge mechanism, the hinge tube 39 can be easily split or broken under the torque produced, because the tube 39 is constituted of the two separate curved portions 391, 392.
Therefore, an improved cover structure for a portable electronic device is desired which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.